10 Beloved Disney Characters Who Had Serious Mental Health Issues

By Baz Greenland /

2. Maleficent - Sleeping Beauty

Disorder: Borderline personality disorder The greatest Disney Villain of all time, Maleficent is the embodiment of pure evil; seeking to destroy anything and anyone who stands before her. She inflicts a curse of King Stefan's kingdom by tricking his daughter into touching a spindle and sending everyone to sleep. She torments a captured Prince Philip with visions of a horrific future. Oh, and she turns into a badass fire breathing dragon. But is she a vindictive, foul-tempered, violent sadist because she is evil, or is it something more? Perhaps the real truth is that she acts the way she does because she is mentally unstable; the sad reality is that Maleficent has borderline personality disorder. Let's take a look at some of the symptoms of this illness... Intense fears of abandonment; perhaps the events of Sleeping Beauty would have been averted had Maleficent simply been invited to Aurora's christening. Intense anger at perceived criticism or hurtfulness; again, most people would voice their opinions or simply stay away; Maleficent inflicts a curse on Princes Aurora and the entire kingdom. Obsessive personality and violent mood swings; Maleficent doesn't give up simply because Aurora is hidden away from sixteen years. She is relentless in her pursuit of the princess, striking out violently at anyone that angers her, particularly her goons and she's a real dragon when she gets really angry. Perhaps if Flora, Fauna and Merryweather actually dealt with the issues at hand rather than devoting their time to opposing poor, unstable Maleficent, things may have turned out very differently.